Press fit hozel receiver

ABSTRACT

a means and method of assembling a golf club head and hozel together using mechanical means is presented. The method includes precision drilling of placement holes and press fitting a locater device into said hole to receive a characteristically shaped golf club hozel end. The mechanical means is sufficient to hold the club head and hozel together, but can be supplemented with gluing or brazing.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application 61/038,772.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to golf club shaft design and construction, specifically to means of attaching a golf club head to the hozel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are many techniques for assembling golf clubs. They include metal to metal welding, soldering, brazing, gluing, and mechanical connections, such as crews and rivets. The techniques have various advantages and disadvantages when compared to each other, and cost is an important criterion.

Low-cost assembly techniques often result in clubs that come apart under mechanical stress, such as a strong golf swing, or inadvertent contact with the ground or another immovable object. Such clubs will also torque and bend at the connection points, deforming the shaft to head angle and other club parameters.

More expensively produced clubs can hold up under such stresses better and maintain the correct shaft angles and head orientations even after extensive use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a technique for assembling the shaft to the head of a golf club, using a pressure fitting as the primary means of attaching the shaft to the head.

The technique involves preparing the head such that the hole where the shaft is to be inserted is drilled to a precise size, a press fitting constructed of a rigid material is placed in the receiving hole such that it rests on the bottom of the hole, and inserting a hozel with a characteristically shaped end into the hole such that it encounters the characteristically shaped press fitting.

The shape of the end of the hozel and the press fitting are matched such that physically pressing the hozel into the hole and forcing the hozel end into firm contact with the press fitting will create a physical gripping of the hozel by a combination of the hole shaft walls and the press fitting.

A supplementary attachment means can be used to add additional strength to the bond holding the press fitting and hozel in the shaft hole in the golf club head. A variety of glues and brazing means can be applied to set the parts of the system together more firmly.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1. Exploded view of the press fit system

FIG. 2. Application of a wrench to insert the hozel in the shaft receiver hole

FIG. 3. Cutaway view of the hozel, press fitting, and golf club head assembled

DETAILED DESIGN

The mechanical components of the invention are shown in FIG. 1 through 3. The disassembled parts of a golf club hozel assembly are the club head 101, the hozel placement hole 102, the hozel locater 103, the hozel base 105, the hozel 104, and the golf club shaft 106. A wrench 107 is also shown. A golf putter is shown in the figures as the preferred embodiment, but the method is applicable to any golf club assembly.

The preferred method is comprised of the steps of preparing the club head 101 such that the hozel placement hole 102 where the hozel 104 is to be inserted is drilled to a precise size, press fitting a hozel locater 103 constructed of a rigid material in the hozel placement hole 102 such that it rests on the bottom of the hole 102 as in FIG. 2, and inserting a hozel 104 with a characteristically shaped hozel base 105 into the hole such that it encounters the characteristically shaped hozel locater 103 as in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the shape of the hozel base 105 and the hozel locater 103 are matched such that physically pressing the hozel 104 into the hole and forcing the hozel base 105 into firm contact with the hozel locater 103 will create a physical gripping of the hozel by a combination of the hozel placement hole 102 walls and the hozel base 105.

A supplementary attachment means can be used to add additional strength to the bond holding the hozel locater 103 and hozel 104 in the hozel placement hole 102 hole in the golf club head 101. A variety of glues and brazing means can be applied to set the parts of the system together more firmly.

Although the invention has been described and a preferred embodiment has been provided, equivalent features may be employed and substitutions made within this specification without departing from the scope of the invention as recited in the claims. 

1. a golf club hozel assembly, comprised of a club head, a hozel placement hole, a cylindrical hozel locater, a hozel, and a golf club shaft, the hozel comprised of a hozel shaft and a hozel base, the hozel placement hole drilled into the upper surface of the club head, the diameter of the hozel placement hole sized to be 0.003 inches smaller than then the diameter of the hozel locater and the hozel base, the golf club shaft attached fixedly to the end of the hozel away from the hozel base, the hozel base and the locater shaped in a characteristic manner such that they mate when pressed together, The golf club head comprised of a rigid material, the hozel locater and hozel comprised of a rigid material.
 2. A golf club hozel assembly as in claim 1, where the golf club head, the hozel locater, and the hozel are comprised of stainless steel.
 3. A method of assembling a golf club as in claim 1, comprised of the steps of drilling a hozel placement hole in the club head such that the hozel placement hole is less than 0.003 inches in diameter smaller than the diameter of the locater and hozel base, finishing the hozel base surface with knurling, press fitting the hozel locater into the correct orientation in the hozel placement hole until it rests on the bottom of the hole using a half-ton press, inserting the hozel with the characteristically-shaped hozel base into the hole such that it mates with the characteristically shaped hozel locater, using an attachment means selected from the list of vacuum brazing and gluing to fasten the hozel in the hozel placement hole. 